Safety-pin.



N. 896,214. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908. L. W. KING.

SAFETY PIN. APPLICATION FILED MAY 10 LAWRENCE W. KING, KANSAS CITY,MISSOURI. I

SAFE TY-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed May 1.0, 1907. Serial No. 373,010.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE W. KING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Pins, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety pins and my object is to produce anarticle lof this character which can be easily manipulated, will performits function efiiciently and reliably and is of simple strong, durableand cheap construction.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel and peculiarfeatures of construction and organization as hereinafter described andclaimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1, is an enlarged perspective view of an article embodying myinvention. Fig. 2, is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig.3, is a front view of the same. Fig. 4, is a pers ective view of thefront end of the base p ate. Fig. 5, is a plan view of the front end ofthe spring. Fig. 6, is a side view of a modified construction of thepin. Fig. 7, is a view of the opposite side with the guard moved topermit the pin point to be disposed between it andthe base or withdrawnfrom between the saine. Fig. 8, is a horizontal section taken on thedotted line VIII of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is an edge view and Fig. 10 afragmentary face view of a modified form of safety pin.

Referring to the drawings in detail where similar reference charactersindicate corres onding parts, 1 indicates an elongated base p ateprovided at its rear end with a hinge oop 2. Near its front end areincisions 3 in its opposite edges the portions forward of the incisionsbeing provided in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive with a set of incisions 4, theincised forward portions being bent to provide upwardly projecting walls5, the said forward portions being also bent upwardly to providecorresponding walls in the modified construction, though in the lattersaid portions are not incised. The forward portions of said walls at thebase of said incisions in Figs. 1 to 4inclusive are bent to provide theoutwardly .projecting fianges 6, and the base plate between said incisedwalls is provided with a comparatively large opening 7.

S indicates a substantially inverted-U- shaped shield'or guard whichfits over the forward portion of the base and externally embraces snuglywalls 5, the depending portions or arms of the shield or guard, of Figs.1 to 4 inclusive, being provided with longitudinal slots 9 bothterminating at their front ends, by preference, in downwardly extendingportionslO. In the modified form only Olne side wall is provided with alongitudinal s ot 9. slots 9 are engaged with a sliding relation by theoutwardly projecting flanges 6.

Riveted as at 11 or otherwise and superposed with respect to the baseplate is a spring 12, which spring fits between the side walls of thebase and is equipped with outwardly projecting portions 13 engaging theslots 9 or their portions 10 forward of fianges 6, said spring tendingto press downwardly so as to secure the shield or guard in its normalposition by causing portions 13 to engage slot portions 10 below theplane of the body portions of the slots, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

The pin proper, numbered 14, preferably consists of a pair ofsubstantially parallel tines 15 sharpened at their front ends and unitedat their rear ends by a depending U- shaped portion 16 pivotallyconnected or hinged to the hinge loop 2, said pin proper being of suchlength as to be covered by the shield or guard 8 when in its normal orprotecting position. In the modified construction one ofthe walls 5 isprovided in its upper edge near its front end with a notch 17 and theopposite wall near its rear end is provided with a longitudinal slot 18,adaptedto regisy ter ywith the slot 9 of the shield or guard when thelatter occu ies its operative position.

In the mod' ed construction, the spring, fitting between walls 5, ispreferably constructed of spring wire bent to substantially U-form witha loop or arch at the junction of one of the arms with the bridgeportion, the said arm being numbered 19, the arch or loop 20, the bridgeportion 21 and thev other arm 22. Said spring is arranged parallel withthe base plate with its arm 19 extending through walls 5 forward ofnotch 17 with the rear portion of the loop extending inwardly throughsaid notch, and the free end of arm 22 projecting outward through slot18, preferably In the preferred construction the f5 about midway thelength of the latter, the

of Fig. 7 is rovided near its frontend and in its lower e ge with anotch 23, which registers, when the shield or guard occupies its normalposition, with the notch 17, the provision of the slot of said shield orguard forward of said notch forming a lug 24 rounded at its rear andlower corner so as to be capable of pivotal operation in the arch orlooped portion of the spring, said lug and the opposite wall of theshield or guard being pivoted on the arm 19 of the spring as shownclearly. The slotted wall of the shield or guard of the modifiedconstruction is provided with an opening'25, to form a mouth for theslot, the

front wall of said mouth being beveled as at 26 so that when the shieldor guard is moved pivotally from the position shown in dotted to theposition shown in full lines Fig. 6, the said beveled wall 26 willengagev the spring arm 22, and force the same rearward until it entersslot 9 when it will spring forward in said slot and thus lock the shieldor guard against reverse or opening movement until' the operator by thepressure of his thumb finger on the projecting end of the spring arm 22shall force the latter rearwardly into the vertical plane of the openingory mouth 25 and hold it in such position until with his nger orotherwise he swings said shield or guard upward. It will be noticed thatthe notch 23 straddles the rear portion of the arch or loop 20 when theshield or guard is closed as shown in Fig. 8. The pin proper in itsoperative position has its front end-or ends asy it preferably comprisesa pair of tines-superposed with respect to the spring as in thepreferred construction and under the shield or guard when the latteroccupies its operative or locked position, the arrangement being such inboth instances, that the pin proper is reliably held and its pointprotected when the shield or guard occupies its normal position.

To operate the shield or guard of the preferred construction so as tofree the pin proper, the operator places the index finger upon theshield or guard and the thumb against the base plate over opening 7 andapplies a squeezing pressure so that his thumb will pressthe springtoward the top of the shield or guard until the projections 13 of thespring are in line with the body portion of slots 9` As this isaccomplished hev moves his thumb and linger in opposite directions inparallel planes and thereby impar-ts relative opposite. longitudinalmovements to the base plate and the shield or guard, such movement beinglimited by the contact of flanges 6 with the rear ends of slots 9. Thesemovements withdraw the shield or guard from over the points of the pinso as to permit the latter to be swu away from the base plate and forcedthrough the object or objects to be pinned. After the pin has been swungback to its original position opposite movements from those de`- scribedare imparted to the base plate and guard to cause the latter to recoverthe points of the pin, the portions 13 of the spring snappin down intothe depending portions of the wal s 9 to resecure said parts in theirnormal or originalpositions. j

To manipulate the structure shown in Fig. 6, the operator pressesforward with his thumb nail on the projecting end of spring arm 22 untilthelatter is op osite the mouth 25 of slot 9. He then wit his finger andwhile holding the spring with his thumb, raises the shield or guard. Thepin proper f ismanipulated as before and after its return to positionthe shield is restored to its original position as hereinbeforeexplained.

In the construction disclosed by Figs. 9 and 1'0 the base plate 1extends forward bel yond the shield or guard and is provided g5 with aroll 27, at each side. The hook pin is produced by bending a piece ofspring wire to form the connecting portion 28, the parallel arms 29which extend through said rolls and the hooks 30, the rolls and the arms29 stiffening and strengthening the base plate. By connecting the hooks30 by the cross piece 28 no soldering or riveting is necessary to securethe hook pin in position. A safety pin of this character can be pinnedto one edge of a garment in the usual manner and the hook pinv beemployed to secure the other edge o n the garment. It is of courseunnecessary to describe other connections in which the combined safetyand hook pin of Figs. 9 and 10 may be employed.

From the above descri tion it will be apparent that I have pro uced asafety pin possessing the features of advantage enumerated as desirableand I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted tothe exact details of construction shown and described except as limitedby the scope of the appended claims, as obvious modiiications willsuggest themselves to one skilled inv 11o the art.

Havingthus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is zy 1. A safety in,lcomprising abase late or1'15 member rovided with upturned wa s at its fronten a substantiallyinverted-U-shaped rshield or guard member slidingly enga ing said walls,a pin attached to the base p ate and having its point between the latterand 4120 the shield orguard, and a spring fitting between the base plateand the shield or guard and engaginfT one of said members to reventaccidental s iding movement where y the point of the pin would beexposed.

2. A safety in, comprising a base late having upward y projecting wallsat its front' end and flanges projecting outward from said walls, asubstantially inverted-'Ufshape` shield or guard externally embracingsaid 130 walls and provided with longitudinal slots receiving saidflanges, one of said slots terminating at its front end in a dependingportion7 a spring secured to the base plate and fitting between saidwalls and provided with an outwardly projecting ortion to engage thedepending portion or tile body portion of the slot, and a pin attachedto the plate and having its point covered by the shield or guard whenthe depending portion of the slot of the latter is engaged by saidspring.

3. A safety pinI comprising a base plate provided with upturned walls atits front end and flanges projecting outwardly from said walls and withan opening between the latter, a substantially inverted-U-shape shieldor guard externally embracing said walls and provided with longitudinalslots receiving said flanges with one of said slots terminating at itsfront end in a depending portion, a spring secured to the base late,fitting between its walls and provi ed with an outwardly projectingportion to engage the depending portion or the body ortion of the slotand accessible through t e opening of the base late, and a pin attachedto the base plate and having its point covered by the shield or guardwhen the depending portion of the slot of the latter is engaged by saidspring.

4. A safety pin comprising, a base plate provided with upturned walls atits front end and with a slot in one of said walls, a substantiallyinverted-U-shape shield or guard attached to and fitting over andexternally embracing said upturned walls and provided with alongitudinal slot, a" spring between said walls .andengaging said slotand pressing downward and a pin attached to the base plate and havingits point normally between said plate and the shield or guard.

5. A safety pin, comprising a base plate provided with upturned walls atits Jfront end and with a slot in one of said walls, a substantiallyinverted-U-shape shield or guard attached to and fitting over andexternally embracing said upturned walls and provided with alongitudinal slot, a spring between said walls and engaging said slotand pressing downward7 and a pin hinged to the base plate and having itspoint normally between said plate and the shield or guard.

6. A safety comprising a base plate or member provided with upturnedwalls at its front end, a substantially inverted-U-shape In testimonywhereof I affix my slgnature, l

in the presence of two witnesses.

LAWRENCE W. KING. Witnesses:

H. C. RonGERs, G. Y. THORPE.

